Fourdrinier machine



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y 1933- c. H. JAITE ET AL FOURDRINIER MACHINE Filed Nov. 19, 1930 May 16, 1933.

c. H. JAITE ET AL FOURDRINIER MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filgd Nov. 19, 1950 QM Q Q 3 x mhk INVENTOR CHRLE5 H -J IUTE' .6 a N R O T T M A T w.- 3 GM WM Qw Patented May 16, 1933 g f D STATE PATENT OFFICE CHARLES H. JAITE, OF LAKEWOOD, AND FERDINAND'BEESER, F JA ITE, OHIO" ronmmmrna nmcnrna Application filed November new- Serial No. 496,628.

v This invention relates to an improvement for Fourdrinier paper making machines, and more particularly to the suction boxes used in connection with the press rolls and the felts, that is, the woolen felt belts wherewith the sheet of paper is freed from water preliminary to entering the driers in such machines. Two or more sets of press rolls and woolen felts are usually employed, andthe first set of press rolls, and the wet felt, as it is called, do most of the work and receive the hardest usage. The felts are pure wool fabrics, and for efficiency preferably of a hi h degree of fineness and quality. Their lie and duration depends upon the grade. and quality, the speed of operation, the quality of the paper stuff, the mode of cleaning. used, and other factors. For example, under certain conditions the paper sheet will enter the press rolls with a higher percentage of water, which to be extracted, places a heavier burden on the felt, and the felt will get dirtyin a shorter time and require more drastic cleaning, and/or more frequent stoppage of the machine and changing of the felts. As an attempt to solve the problem, felt washing appliances are embodied in such machines. These felt washers usually include means for spraying the felt, rolls to press out the dirty water, and a suction box to dry the felt. However, such felt washers are open to the objection thatthe continual washing, pressing and drying operations onthe felt wears out the felt as much or more than the legitimate work imposed on. the felts. The suction box is especiallysevere onthe felt, and may be very drastic inits action and require skillful .and careful manipulation, since raising the nap and cleaning it by suctionunder movement and friction is more or lessidestructiv'e to the felt. In practice heretofore, the durability and life of the wet F felt is limited to only a week or two in making certain papers-and replacements are expensive, each felt costing between 200 and 400 dollars. Accordingly, it is of considerable value andimportance to a paper maker to 'prolongthe life, of such belts and other belts in the machine and keep them 0011- stantly in good operating condition. Now my object in general is to provide a suction box which' will greatlyreduce the destructive effects and. wear on a woolen felt or other belt used in such machines for extracting-the water from the paper stuff or sheet while the machine is running, thereby promoting the operations of paper making, and efiecting 'a'material saving in labor and expense in connection with the maintenance and operation of the machine.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is aside elevation of the presses in a F ourdrinier papermaking machine, including a suction box constructed according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional View of one ofthe shiftable pistons or end-closure devices used in the suction box, and Fig. 3 a perspective view of one of the rubber sealing blocks forming part of, said devices. Fig. 4 is a top view of a suction box, and Fig. 5 a sectional View lengthwise of the same. Figs. 6, 7, and 8, are cross sectional viewsof the box on lines 6-6, 77, and 88,-,respectively, of Fig. 5. V In Fig. 1 thewire end of the machine is I indicated at A, the'presses at B, and the driers at C, only a part of the machine bein illustrated. The wire end includes tube anc l I couch rolls, and an endless band or belt 2 so of fine wire gauze, together with vacuum or suction boxes 3 connected to suction pumps, all as well known. The presses B include separate sets 'of press rolls 4, and woolen belts 5, termed felts. The first woolen belt or wet felt as it is called, receives the wetsheet of paper from the wire belt 2 when it is in condition to be handled, and the sheet. is then conveyed by the felt belts to and'bet-weenthe separate sets of press rolls 4, thereby extracting the water from the paper before delivering the sheet to the drying cylinders C.' The greater burden of the work falls on the first press roll 4eand the wet felt? 5, and in many machines the felt itself is also continuously washed or cleaned by spraying water on both sides of the felt, pressingout the dirty water, and using a suction box to dry the felt again.

In' the present instance a suction box D longitudinal of novel construction, is employed to promote the removal of the water from the paper and wet felt continuously and in a thorough manner without undue ill effect or wearing out of the felt while the machine is running, see Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive. Preferably this box is mounted in advance of the first set of press rolls 4, say intermediate the two idler rollers 6-6 between which the felt belt is stretched upwardly at an inclination and upon which the wet paper sheet is first deposited after leaving the wire belt. Box D may be made of wood or metal, and it is relatively narrow and of sufficient length to extend at its opposite closed ends beyond the longitudinal side edges of felt belt 5. A horizontal partition 8 sub-divides the interior of the box into upper and lower chambers 9 and 10, respectively, and this partition has an elongated opening 11 at or about its middle. A pipe 12 from a suction pump is connected to the bottom of the box and lower chamber 10, and a second small pipe 14 having a regulating valve V may also be connected to the upper chamber 9 in the box, whereby air may be admitted to the box to finely control the degree of suction or pull on the felt belt. The opposite ends of the box are fixed and closed, but a pair of movable end walls or closure members E are further provided vertically and transversely in upper chamber 9, whlch is rectangular in cross section in the present structure. The movable end walls or members E include blocks 15 made of rubber or other compressible or elastic material, which conform in shape to the rectangular walls of chamber 9 and have divided upper portions or extensions 16 adapted to extend upwardly into a slot or elongated opening 17 inthe top of the box. In other words the upper end of each rubber block 15 is formed with an open recess or pocket 18, preferably circular to receive and seat a round roller 19, which may be either solid or tubular.

This roller extends lengthwise of the slot or opening in the top of the box, and it is spaced apart from the side walls 202() of the slot so that two narrow suction spaces flank the Y roller lengthwise in the top of the box.

The top and side walls, or the corner edges bordering the slot may be faced with metal or very hard wood where the felt belt 5 passes thereover and bridges the suction spaces and roller 19. The main body of roller 19 lies within slot 17 beneath the top of the box, and its upper curved surface 18 or may be elevated more or less above the top and corner edges of the slot in the box, so as to support the belt and relieve the drag and friction thereon when under suction and moving over the corner edges of the slot and the top of the box. A finer adjustment and setting of the roller at different levels may be readily effected by manipulating adjusting screws 21 carried by yokes or brackets 22 mounted upon the top of the box at opposite ends of the roller, which roller is journaled in ball bearings 23 carried by slides 24: connected to the adjusting screws 21, see Figs. 5 and 6.

The width of the paper sheet determines the spaced settings to be given to the movable end walls or rubber blocks 15 within the box, and a rod or shaft 25 is attached to each rubber block 15 and a pair of clamping plates or nuts 27 for compressing the same. These shafts extend through the fixed end walls of the box where a handle 28 is provided on either rotate or reciprocate the shafts. When rotated, one of the screw-threaded plates or nuts 27 is also rotated, which either expands the rubber block to larger dimensions or permits the rubber body to contract itself to smaller dimensions, depending upon the direction of rotation given to the shaft. When fully contracted the blocks may be readily shifted longitudinally within the box and along the roller, but when the block is under compression and expanded laterally to larger dimensions a tight wedging fit is obtained against the walls of the box and a good sealing fit effected at the round roller. Thus, the roller may be more or less free to rotate within the slot and the rubber block still seal each end of the suction chamber properly to permit a strong suction to be applied to the felt belt without inducing objectionable friction and wear on the felt, thus greatly prolonging the usefulness and life of. a felt belt.

Other advantages accrue besides merely prolonging the life of the belt, as a greater quantity of water may be extracted under =1 given comparable conditions, and/or the speed increased, or a higher degree of suction applied to the felt and paper, all without wearing out or effecting the felt detrimentally as much as in past practices.

The present suction box is more especially intended for use with the felts, either with or without washing apparatus, but it can also be used with the wire screen belts with somewhat similar benefit and advantage. Accordingly, and viewed broadly, the invention is applicable to any place of use in a Fourdrinier or other machine where a suction box of that kind and type may b required or desired.

What we claim is:

In a paper making machine, the combination of a set of press rolls and a felt belt, with a suction box having a suction opening and a roller therein adapted to support said belt and relieve it from friction and Wear in traveling across said opening, means for adjusting said roller vertically in respect to the top of said box, and compressible shiftable means within said box for the outside wherewith to CHARLES H. JAITE. FERDINAND BEESER. 

